in memoriam

Mommy

March 17, 1941 - October 30, 2009

never more shall i see you in vain

pause beneath the evergreens at twilight seeking solitude

for you have found peace

contented you soar like the gulls

communed with the heavens

f o r e v e r. . .

i wrote this poem for you - Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Fannie, Uncle Boy, Lolo Ange, Lola Doring, Lolo Abay and for all who have gone ahead. 

requiescat in pace

This work by justaboutbecool.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

angelic notes

i believe in angels. not the dubious new age ones but the angels of old - those inscribed in Sacred Scriptures, upheld by Sacred Tradition and sanctioned by the Catholic Church. i also believe in angel encounters and private revelations - stories told by ordinary men and women whose lives have been touched by the divine.

in spirit form or otherwise, i believe that angels are ever present in our lives and come to our assistance.  but what are angels?

they are defined as ministering spirits, divine messengers, spiritual beings or attendants of the Deity or God. they have existed from the beginning of time long before the first man was created. they are not the winged beings clad in white robes we see in Renaissance art or in movies. over the centuries, artists have depicted and interpreted them in various forms.

let's take cherubims as an example. cherubims are one of the three orders of angels closest to God. they were stationed at the east gate of Eden and brandished fiery swords to keep Adam and Eve from returning to Paradise. the Assyrians saw them as winged creatures with either human or lion faces and had the body of an eagle, a bull or a sphinx. this is a far cry from the cuddly and plump cherubims or babies we see painted on temple walls and church murals.

angelology is the study of angels and hierarchies of angels are present in different religious traditions. most of the Christian sources i've come across recognize nine orders of angels.

the nine angelic orders are divided into three heirarchies, each of which are composed of three orders. the highest and closest to God are the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. the second or intermediate hierarchy also consists of three orders of holy angels: the Dominions, Virtues and Powers.  in the third or lower hierarchy, we find the three orders of Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

we are more familiar with Archangels and Angels. the former are great heralds of good news. they reveal prophecies, knowledge and understanding of God's will. it was the Archangel Gabriel who revealed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the world the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. the Angels - the lowest of all the orders - are those closest to men. they guard us and never leave us despite our wrong doings. their assistance is always available as long as we ourselves desire it.

mosaic fun

 

Avatar Mosaic

Cagsawa Ruins with Mayon Volcano

Mosaics were generated using Artensoft Photo Mosaic Wizard 

b 1 of Uz

a day after my birthday, i decided to check out a link that was emailed to me. i have had that email in my inbox stewing for a couple of weeks already but i didn't find the heart to visit unlimitedzone.org i was already doing well (or so i thought) with the forum i was currently part of so joining another one was not an option. on that momentous day, feeling particularly good and a year older, i finally decided to check out what the link was all about.
i was impressed with the support and courtesy accorded me by the forum's staff and members and i was amazed by how helpful and quick they were in responding to my questions. i immediately felt at home among strangers until i found myself a stranger no more.
the forum offers mobile and pc tutorials, links to ebooks, links to pc and mobile applications, links to music and video files, contests and games, a spiritual lounge, sections on magic, sports, classified ads and more. pornography is not allowed and posting anything close to one would get a member banned. rules are strictly enforced. there is a shoutbox where everyone congregates to chat about anything - from the mundane to the profound. a library of emoticons is available to add color and fun to one's messages or posts.
active members are rewarded for their contributions and loyalty too and some have been elevated to staff status for their good standing and unselfish efforts.
unlimitedzone.org recently celebrated its first anniversary and i had the opportunity to meet the forum's three administrators and one of the moderators during an EB or eyeball. as of this writing, 6,224 members are currently registered and the number is growing each day. according to trafficestimate.com  the site has an estimated 86,300 monthly visits, a worldwide rank of 313,021 with 4 external websites linking to it.Filipino and English are the only languages allowed. registration is free and members can upgrade anytime to Elite or VIP by donating a very small and reasonable fee.
to date, i'm enjoying my virtual time with the staff and other members of unlimitedzone.org. in two weeks i would be celebrating three months with the forum and i look forward to having more. 

Josefina

one of the strongest and most admirable women i had the blessed privilege of knowing was Josefina. to her parents and siblings, she was Phina. to her peers, she was Josie. to her children and grandchildren, she  was their Mommy and Mama respectively.
Josefina was the eldest of ten children. she started working when she was eighteen to help her parents support a big and growing family. she studied shorthand and stenography and graduated top of her class. her secretarial skills landed her a job with the government where she stayed till she retired at the age of 65. she met Bernardo in the same office where she worked. their friendship blossomed into love and they got married. her first born son was miscarried but she was blessed afterwards with three more children - two boys and a girl.
she loved to read, crochet and cook for her family. she even attended a cooking/baking class just so she could learn new recipes. some of the other things she loved doing were shopping with her children, going to Church, strolling at the mall and looking for bargain books. as she transcribed her steno notes every night, her children were lulled to sleep by the sound of her typewriter keys - tak tak tak tak zing...tak tak tak zing...
she was raised a Catholic and was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, always keeping a Rosary with her nearby. one of her dreams was to go to Mexico with her eldest son to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
she was not perfect and had her weaknesses but she was a devoted wife to her husband and a gentle and loving mother to her children. when her kids had school projects, she always helped them out - sometimes doing the project herself. she  rarely had arguments or fights with her husband and if there were, it was often very brief and petty. she was truly blessed that her husband was gentle to her and never raised a fist. when her husband died, she remained strong for herself and her children and grandchildren.
when her two sons relocated to another city to work, she would always make it a point to visit them regularly especially on their birthdays. traveling almost 12 hours by bus, she didn't mind the long trip just so she could be with them. she would always arrive early in the morning and immediately rush to her sons' rooms and plant a kiss while greeting them a happy birthday.
one of her wishes which she often said to me was to live a long full life so that she could continue to serve her children and grandchildren.
this was not to be...in February 2009 her eldest son took her to the hospital for an examination after she woke up one day to find her sheets wet with blood. the doctor recommended immediate hysterectomy. her son wept when they left the hospital. he was very close to his mom and was afraid for her. his prayer was should God call his mother home that he be given the chance to take care of her and be with her till her last breathe.
she underwent surgery in March of the same year. the biopsy result was stage 1-A endometrial cancer. with early detection and proper treatment, the 5-year survival rate was 90% for those who had her condition so there was no real cause for alarm. what people overlooked was the 10% chance of survival...
6 months later, she was again brought to the hospital for a check-up. her doctor found a new growth. she had to undergo chemotherapy to arrest the cancer. the cancer was so aggressive that ten days after her treatment, she succumbed. her eldest son was with her all throughout these trying times. his prayer was answered.
she will never get to go on a pilgrimage to Mexico or have her desire of serving her family. she will never get to visit her children on their birthdays again and greet them with a hug and kiss as they wake up. she will never ever get to do the things she want or see her dreams for her children and grandchildren fulfilled.
she is now at rest - no more cancer, no more pain, no more worries, no more problems to disturb her sleeping and waking hours. her family truly misses her.
i miss her too. i miss her very very much. we would never get to talk again or go shopping or attend Church services and do stuff together...
i thank God that i got to know her - for Josefina was my ever dearest mother and i am her eldest son.

i love her and i always will.

This work by justaboutbecool.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

first blog

so what does one blog about i found myself wondering once i decided to have my own blogspot. i did a little research and was overwhelmed - not with the information - but with the endless possibilities. this little corner of the web would then be just about becool©-  thoughts, reflections, anecdotes and observations about my wanderings in the virtual and real worlds i inhabit. welcome.